Asbury Park City Council members and Mayor Myra Campbell were sworn in during a raucous ceremony Monday. Within a year, the city could have a radically different government with new representation, a new city manager and possibly a new structure of governance.

ASBURY PARK – History and controversy often go hand-in-hand – this iconic Jersey Shore city made both with a single vote Monday afternoon.

During an occasionally tumultuous swearing-in ceremony, Asbury Park’s new Council appointed Myra Campbell the city’s first African-American female mayor.

“A window of opportunity that has never been opened for an African-American female in this city, and may never be opened again, was presented to me,” Campbell said in a Monday statement. “This was an extremely difficult decision to make knowing tradition would be changed and would affect two people I’ve worked with for months.”

Campbell’s appointment appeared to buck a recent city tradition of allowing the highest vote-getter in the Council elections to become mayor. This year, that would have been newly-elected Councilman John Moor, who ran on the One Asbury ticket with Campbell and new Councilwoman Amy Quinn. Before yesterday’s ceremony, it was widely anticipated that Moor would become Asbury Park’s new mayor.

Moor was magnanimous after missing-out on the mayoral position.

"Ms. Campbell was elected mayor, now we have to work together and move forward," Moor said. "I am disappointed in the way it went down, but to me it is no more a title. I’m in it for the best of Asbury Park. I never have been a politician, I don’t have an ego, I just want to do what’s best for the city."

However, yesterday re-elected incumbents John Loffredo and Susan Henderson joined Campbell in a 3-2 vote that found her former running mates in the minority.

Outgoing Mayor Ed Johnson expressed surprise Tuesday morning.

“I was completely caught off guard,” Johnson said. “It is not what I would have done.”

While some supported Campbell's appointment, the Asbury Park Sun reports others voiced disapproval, shouting "turncoat," "liars," and "traitors" as she was nominated and sworn in. There were also chants for 'John Moor,' which interrupted the meeting. When Moor took his oath of office, cries of "our new mayor" erupted from the audience.

Johnson said that he understood the crowd’s frustration, but not the lack of decorum.

“I was concerned by the division and some members of the audience that were just out of control,” Johnson said. “Regardless of how disappointed or disgusted people were with the decision, there’s no excuse for that kind of rude behavior… From what I saw, there’s a severe crack in the unity, what little unity we did have. Some people are very upset.”

Johnson is no stranger to bucking traditions – in 2005, when he was the second-largest vote-getter, he was denied the deputy mayor position.

“I know – it is interesting because it is tradition until it is not - when I was denied in 2005, tradition went out the window,” Johnson said. “Then, in 2009, I had a member of my own team working behind the scenes to prevent me from becoming mayor.”

In her statement, Campbell said she would try to bridge the divide.

“Everyone on this council will take an oath today to serve the citizens of Asbury Park,” Campbell said. “Time to heal is needed, and I hope we can unite for the common good of all.”

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Campbell is a retired school teacher who has also worked as a marketing representative for IBM and Eastman-Kodak and owned her own business remanufacturing printer toner cartridges.

She has a wealth of community service experience as president of the West Side Neighborhood Block Watch, a Asbury Park Housing Authority commissioner and a member of the first Urban Enterprise Zone Committee in Asbury Park.

Campbell has strong roots in the Democratic Party. She was Monmouth County Co-Chair for NJ for Obama and a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

“The Monmouth County Democrats congratulate the new mayor and council on their victories this past May,” Vin Gopal, Monmouth County Democratic chairman, told NJ.com on Monday evening. “Asbury Park is a city which has come a long way and will continue to prosper and be a beacon for tourism and growth, thanks to Democratic leadership in the City."

Campbell is a native of Washington, Penn., moved to Asbury Park in 1982. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.S. in education.

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